In 1804, when Michael Hogan appeared in New York with his wife, Frances Hogan, née Richardson, he was greeted with a warm reception. The Irish-born…
Borders
To us, borders are not lines where countries meet, but places where national laws and transnational business intersect. When companies, capital and people cross borders, they enter a sphere where trade deals, tax havens, multinational supply chains and human migration are big factors in how business is done. Here we look at how the global economy operates in this space between states.
PROMISED LAND
The land of Haile Selassie is finally recognizing its Rastafarian community
Ethiopia’s government has announced it will issue identity cards to members of the Rastafarian community, a religious group that has long been seen as stateless…
THE PROMISED LAND
One of the world’s oldest civilizations is battling with Egypt to return to its land
Nubian activists in Egypt are demanding to return to their ancestral land, believed to be located on a strip of the Nile near the city…
HYPHENATED NATIONALISM
Adding Asians to Kenya’s list of tribes shows an unhealthy obsession with tribal purity
Kenya’s government officially recognized members of the Asian community as a tribe last week, supposedly as part of an effort to integrate them into mainstream…
NODE DOUBT
Computer scientists reveal the hidden architecture of tax havens—and how to beat them
We know there are tax havens. We just can’t agree on where they are. Although many countries recognize that major corporations divert tax revenue—there’s a…
ENTER THE DRAGON
CPEC: The growing resentment and resistance among poor Pakistanis can cost China dearly
In Pakistan, there’s no topic hotter than the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion dollar bilateral development project that will officials promised in 2015, “usher…
DON'T FLY BLIND
Here’s what you need to know now about US Customs searches of your phone
US Customs and Border Protection agents are allowed to search the contents of travelers’ phones but not their data stored exclusively on the cloud, according…
COOL DOWN
As the India-China border standoff worsens, words of wisdom: Get over 1962
In Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger, James Bond famously said: “Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and third time is enemy action.” For the first time since…
KEEPING TRACK
In photos: An 80-year-old India-Nepal rail line, once a favourite of smugglers and migrants alike
The historic Janakpur railway, running between Nepal and India, was once a major border crossing for citizens on both sides. The British built the 20-mile…
HOLING ON TO YOUR HAT
Keeping your hat on in Johannesburg: The tale of an Indian migrant milliner
Nothing brings together style, history and social organization more than a hat. When the Europeans began commerce with India in the 16th century, they were…
SELLING OR RETURNING?
Egyptians still can’t agree if they own two key Red Sea islands or if Saudi Arabia does
The wrangle over two uninhabited islands in the Red Sea is shaping up to be the latest quandary facing Egypt’s government, threatening to pit its…
AWAY FROM HOME
These charts break down the troubling trends with displaced people across Africa
The number of forcibly displaced people has more than doubled in the last two decades, the United Nations’ refugee agency noted in a report released…
